Seven new fire engines will soon be coming to Essex.

East Anglian Daily Times: Acting Chief Fire Officer Adam Eckley of ECFRS and Paul Fuller, Chief Fire Officer at BFRS, celebrate purchase of new fire engines. Photo: David StubbsActing Chief Fire Officer Adam Eckley of ECFRS and Paul Fuller, Chief Fire Officer at BFRS, celebrate purchase of new fire engines. Photo: David Stubbs (Image: Archant)

The custom-built appliances will be stationed across the county, including at Colchester, Newport and Chelmsford.

They are the first tranche of a £10million contract with Angloco to provide 42 new appliances over the next four years to Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) – arranged as part of a joint money-saving deal with the Bedfordshire brigade.

The first seven engines will be new Heavy Rescue Pumps, designed on a bespoke basis drawn up after a consultation with six fire services in the region.

They include a whole host of specialist rescue equipment along with pumps and hoses, meaning they can be sent to a wide variety of incidents from house fires to complex rescues including car crashes.

Special features include increased tyre size for better grip and handling, a suspension which can be lowered, more space for stowing kit

Acting Chief Fire Officer Adam Eckley, at ECFRS, said: “These appliances have been designed to meet the demands of a modern fire and rescue service. Their flexibility reflects the wide range of work our crews carry out and they provide an excellent response capability which can deal with a huge range of incidents and emergencies.

“This is the latest investment we have made in frontline equipment. We are working to create a service fit for the future and providing an excellent response by our highly-trained crews in the right vehicles with the right equipment is at the core of that.

“These vehicles are not only innovative in their design and application they also have been designed and bought under an innovative arrangement which combines knowledge and spending power to ensure we have the most appropriate equipment at the best price.”